Play to provide shoes for less fortunate

December 12, 2012

WEIRTON - Fifth and sixth-grade students at St. Paul Catholic School are preparing to put on a play with an important message, and help those in need.

"The Christmas Shoe Tree" will be presented by the school 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. There is no admission cost, but the school is asking for those attending to consider the donation of a pair of shoes to benefit the less fortunate around the world.

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SHOE DRIVE — Fifth and sixth-grade students at St. Paul Catholic School in Weirton are preparing for a production of “The Christmas Shoe Tree,” to take place Tuesday As part of the play, the school is asking for donations of shoes, which will be sent to those in need around the world as part of the Soles 4 Souls shoe drive. -- Craig Howell

Soles 4 Souls collects new and used shoes and ships them around the world to areas where they are in need, such as small, impoverished villages in South America, Asia and Africa.

Allen explained they will accept any type of shoe, new or used, as long as it is part of a matching pair.

"Most of them go to orphanages," she said.

Fact Box

St. Paul Catholic School will put on a production of "The Christmas Shoe Tree," 6:30 p.m. Dec. 18. Admission is free; however, the school is asking for donations of shoes as part of the Soles 4 Souls program. More information on the program can be found online at www.giveshoes.org.

According to the organization's website, found online at www.giveshoes.org, any new shoes collected - or used shoes in good condition - are given for free to those in need, including people who cannot otherwise afford shoes of their own, or those who have suffered through natural disasters.

Used shoes, especially those not appropriate for crisis relief, are collected in an effort to establish and support micro-enterprise movements to help provide a source of revenue for people in underprivileged areas of the world.

To date, the school has collected approximately 500 pairs of shoes for the program.

"They're still coming in," Allen said.

Allen said the students are excited for the production, saying the play itself has a great message.